September 23, 2018

Get Over Yourself

John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he wasn’t in our group.” – Mark 9:38

It was appalling. It was a ridiculous situation that played out on Main Street during a downtown festival. It should have been about Jesus. Instead, it became about one man’s ego.

A newly planted church had secured a booth at the event. Someone had given them a box of Bibles to give away. They were doing that. Another man, from a different church, recognized that the Bibles were from an organization he’s affiliated with. He was livid and attempted to stop the church group from giving away the Bibles. His reasoning? Only members of the organization were authorized to distribute the Bibles.

It gets worse. He started screaming at the church members. In the middle of downtown. On Main Street. During an event that draws thousands of people. Gosh. I guess that really made people want to know more about Jesus. Seriously?!

I know this man. He’s basically a good person who loves Jesus. Until you disagree with him. Then he turns hateful and mean and you have to wonder about the overall condition of his heart. Fortunately, that’s between him and God.

Did it really matter who was giving away the Bibles? Of course not. The Bibles were a gift intended to be distributed in the exact way they were being distributed. Were any “rules” violated?” I have no idea. Nor do I care. Jesus lived His life as an illustration of how “rules” can miss the point of true faith.

What did Jesus say to the disciples?

“Don’t stop him!” Jesus said. “No one who performs a miracle in my name will soon be able to speak evil of me. Anyone who is not against us is for us.” – Mark 9:39-40

Don’t stop him. Don’t stop them. Can’t you just hear Jesus admonishing the man for being focused on the wrong thing? It didn’t matter where the Bibles came from. What mattered is where those Bibles were going and why. God’s Word was being sent out to do His will and touch hearts. That was what was important.

Many years ago I had the opportunity to take a room full of books from a thrift store that was closing. They were free. The only catch was I had to take all of them. In the midst of that large stockpile was 20 plus Bibles of various translations and type size. Some were in excellent condition. Some were kind of shabby. I gave them all away.

I had set up tables at a local flea market. I was sure to put the Bibles in one area and other books for sale in another area. I was amazed at the reactions from people when I told them the Bibles were free. One girl had always wanted her very own Bible. Another person secured a large print Bible for a relative in the nursing home who could no longer read regular-size print.

Suspicion clouded some faces. They were expecting a “catch.” They expected me to insist on a name and number or to be blasted with judgement or a sermon. They didn’t get any of that. Just a smile, a kind word, and my willingness to answer questions if they had any.

It wasn’t about me. It was about sharing God’s Word. It was a beautiful experience of what happens when we simply give without expectation.

Sometimes we get so caught up in our “rules” and in our own agendas that we miss Jesus. We need to get over ourselves and work together to spread His love to all who would draw near.

August 10, 2018

Who Do You Serve?

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

– Mark 9:35

James and John wanted to be next to Jesus in places of honor and glory. They wanted to be held in high esteem by others.  They wanted to be above the pack.

They didn’t understand what was to come, of course. Do we ever? We’re so focused on ourselves that we can’t see the bigger picture. We can’t see Jesus. The only image before us is the image of ourselves.

A dear man heads up a committee. He’s proud of it. He’s been the chairman for several years. He’s even in charge of the same committee on a multi-church level.

This man loves to serve. He cooks food for an outreach ministry. He shares Jesus at other venues. He’s such a good, giving man – so long as you do everything exactly to his specifications and his timetable. He’s so controlling that he has almost single-handedly destroyed the very ministry he leads.

Two women devote hours to their church committee. Please note the use of the word “their” committee. They have worked hard to make sure the committee only includes people who agree with everything they “suggest.” They aren’t looking for other ideas. They simply want people who will step up and do their bidding however they choose things be done. I’m sure you can imagine the grumbling from others. They don’t care. They’re so busy being in charge that they don’t realize they’re on the cusp of standing alone.

Welcome to church politics. I have watched two or three people generate enough divisiveness to “run” off a good preacher. I have witnessed churches split apart over how to spend money. I have seen churches die because they refused to welcome any new members into their midst.

There’s something about power and prestige that makes us forget that we don’t always have the answers. There’s something about being in charge that makes us forget that other people sometimes have more wisdom than we do. And there’s something about control that makes us forget that God reigns, not us.

Satan knows just what buttons to push to turn otherwise good Christians against each other. He knows exactly who to target to create chaos rather than growth and renewal. We’re engaged in spiritual warfare, whether we acknowledge it or not.

The only way to battle Satan is through the armor of God. Jesus won the war but Satan is after anyone who desires to serve Christ. He knows that the very best way to accomplish his goals is to turn God’s people against one another. Don’t let him.

It’s not about you. It’s not about me. It’s about bringing God glory and honoring Him in all we say and do. Check your egos at the door. Leave pride outside in the trash. Be the least so you can bring honor to God our Father and Creator.

Do you want to be first? Then live your life being last.

July 27, 2018

Where Is Your Home?

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” – John 11:25-26

What does home look like to you? Maybe it’s a house in the suburbs. Maybe it’s a condo or apartment in the city. Maybe it’s a house in the country, surrounded by acres and acres of farm land. Or maybe it’s somewhere else entirely.

Do you believe in Jesus Christ? Do you believe He’s the Son of God? Do you believe He came, lived a perfect life, was crucified for our sins, and rose three days later? Do you believe He sits at God’s right hand and intercedes for us? Do you believe you’ll meet Him face to face one day?

Then no matter where you lay your head at night, you aren’t home.

Jesus spoke these words before He called Lazarus out of the tomb. Mary and Martha were beyond distraught. Their brother got sick and died. And Jesus, their teacher and a miraculous healer, delayed coming to save him. They were upset with Him. We get upset with Him sometimes too.

Everything Jesus does focuses us on eternity. It’s not so much about the here and now as it is about leading us to be more like Him, gathering the lost, and ministering to the hurting. He understands as we rarely do that this isn’t our home.

We cling to this world. We fight death like it’s the enemy when, in reality, death is only the beginning. For it is in death that we truly go home to beauty and eternal service to God Almighty.

We are only here for a short while. Our days are numbered, be that number large or small. There is a special purpose for each of us. Finding that purpose, that calling, should be a lifetime pursuit.

As believers, we know that. The trouble comes when we look for grandeur when Jesus says to love your neighbor well. The challenge comes when we don’t like our calling, when it’s scary or when it involves reaching out to people we don’t like.

We are creatures of comfort. We like our earthly dwellings. We want to have fun. We want this life to be easy and without great sorrow or distress. We want to live long and die painlessly, waking into heaven without ever having to get dirty with the service God has called us to.

How would life be different if we focused our attention on Jesus? How would we view our possessions if we understood all that we have is only temporary? How would we change if we truly realized that home is where Jesus is, no matter what our address says today?

Jesus came that we might be free to serve Him. He came to save us from our sins and grant us a passport to an eternal destination of beauty and worship. Don’t lose sight of that. When life threatens to overwhelm you, when your days are filled with stress over earthly things, remember that you’re just passing through.

March 16, 2018

What Choice Are You Making?

Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil. – Proverbs 4:25-27

We are distracted by the world. There are so many things, so many people, vying for our attention. We want to be involved, in the know, part of it all. Except maybe we were set apart for a higher purpose, a higher call.

We lament all the changes around us but we don’t do anything to correct what we don’t like. A sweet friend gets so angry at a television show she finds disgusting. Then why watch it? It’s like we’re drawn to the ugly. The simple truth is that television, like so many things, is a business. If no one watches, the show will be cancelled. The end. But we can’t seem to help ourselves.

Maybe we don’t want to help ourselves. Because some of the “rules” aren’t easy. We prefer to gossip, to divorce because of “irreconcilable differences,” or to have one too many drinks at the game or a celebration. We don’t want to hold ourselves to the standards God has laid out for us.

It’s so much easier to pick and choose what we’d prefer to see as the focus from the Bible. We don’t want to share our food or clothing so we condemn people we don’t know, labeling them lazy and unworthy. We forget that God tells us to be good to immigrants because we’d rather only welcome those who look, act and think like us.

We justify our actions because “everyone is doing it.” Somehow we think that makes it okay. We don’t want to cause trouble, to make people dislike us, to draw attention to ourselves. We remain silent, forgetting we are supposed to be different so that the light within us shines brightly for all to see Jesus.

Let someone else do it. We don’t want to be ridiculed and condemned. We don’t want to sacrifice. We simply want to live a good life – as defined by the world’s standards – and end up in heaven one day after we’d lived a long, happy life. We don’t want to struggle. We don’t want to give up anything. Surely, Jesus didn’t mean that we were to leave everything for Him?

Church has become more of a social venue rather than a place to worship and honor God. It is an option for those days when we feel like attending, feel like participating, feel like sacrificing our time for a God we claim to love.

It’s all about us. Oh, we say we know it isn’t really. But our actions tell a different story. Arrogance fills us as we tell others what we will and won’t do. I laugh silently at the words. Experience has taught me that God frequently calls us to do exactly what we’ve proclaimed we’ll never do.

Motives come from the heart and that is where God sees all and judges accordingly. What path are you on today? When you look ahead do you see a cross or do you see a vacation? Are you more concerned with comfort or in following the path Jesus has laid out for you?

We have a choice each day whether to serve ourselves or to serve Jesus. Each decision we make, every step we take, leads us down a path toward a final destination. What choice are you making?

Saturday, October 20, 2012

It’s Not About You Or Me -- Really

“Everything they do is done for men to see.”

-- Matthew 23:5a

“For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

-- Matthew 23:12

It was sad, though probably not for the obvious reason. The man called to enlist my support. The prison ministry -- specifically he and a few others who went once a week to minister to those in the county jail -- was in jeopardy and he wanted me to make a phone call.

He went on about what he’d “heard.” He shared what “someone had said.” He had no facts and hadn’t yet talked with anyone in authority to even see if the rumors were true. He seemed shocked when I simply said no.

My former life as a journalist really highlighted the allegations and lack of facts. My life as a Christian took quick note that not once did he mention Jesus or God. His only concern was for himself and his friends. That was heartbreaking.

I’ve long wondered about this ministry. On the surface, it seems wonderful and I’m sure that these dedicated men have touched lives over the years. It just seemed that every time they talked about it, the focus was on themselves and not on God.

It’s easy to argue that any exposure to the gospel is good. I’m sure that some of the men in jail have never before owned a Bible or had someone talk with them about Jesus or pray with them. That’s a good thing.

But it’s not about those who minister. Somehow it seems as though they’ve lost that along the way. They’re impressed with themselves. They’re doing something many are afraid to do and others are too hard to do. It’s commendable, but only because they are following God’s call.

Or, at least, they were. That’s the danger in any ministry, when we begin to believe it’s about us and our opinions and our prayers instead of understanding that it all comes from God. Every word. Every thought. And when it doesn’t, well, it fails.

Like now. The previous jail administrator, a staunch supporter of the jail ministry, is now indicted in another county. There are changes coming. Maybe that’s not a bad thing.

Sometimes things need to shake up so that we can refocus again on what’s important: Jesus. God doesn’t call us to exalt ourselves. We are here to serve Him and to bring Him glory. Losing sight of that simple fact leads to a humbling that hurts us and those we are called to serve.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Find God’s Will For Your Life

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

-- John 14:5-6

Where is your passion? What breaks your heart? What pushes you to anger? Where do you see need? Honest answers to these questions can help you discover God’s purpose for your life.

It’s easier to hide behind a screen of uncertainty. It’s more convenient to turn blindly away from what you see than to open yourself up to what you feel. It’s safer to stay where you are than to step up and out where God lights the path.

We feel empty inside. We don’t know our purpose for this life, we complain. We ask God to tell us what to do but we never stick around long enough to hear what He has to say.

What is your passion? God made us all differently. Some things excite you. Some things don’t. Maybe you love children. Maybe you’ve got a heart for the elderly. Maybe you love to travel or to cook or to grow vegetables. Whatever your passion is, that’s a good place to begin.

What breaks your heart? Some people are hard-hearted when it comes to the homeless but they’re heartbroken when it comes to someone facing cancer. Some people can’t deal with hospitals and illness but they ache for those desperately seeking working and trying to stay financially afloat. Again, everyone is different so follow your own heart.

What makes you angry? Do you get mad when people blame the poor for needing help? Do you get upset when the school system struggles to afford the supplies they need? Anger can be a good thing when it’s directed in such a way that causes good to come from it.

God wants to lead us to our purpose, the reason He created us. Sometimes it seems that we hear Him loud and clear. Other times we can’t seem to get past ourselves to hear what He’s trying to tell us.

There’s no way to be certain where God is leading you. Don’t use that as an excuse to procrastinate. Take a step forward. If a door opens, take another. And so it goes. If you are following God’s will for your life, He’ll light your path and make your way clear.

Don’t let yourself get too comfortable where you’re at. It’s just so easy to let life slip by and find out one day that you’re on the downside of life and you’ve never really done what you intended to do. God is waiting. Take a step in faith and find your purpose.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Your Calling Begins With One Step

But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, not did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus. -- Galatians 1:15-17

Whenever we feel called to do something, we seem to need a committee to help us decide if we should do it or not. We’ve got to weigh the pros and cons. We’ve got to analyze it to death.

Sometimes caution is good. Other times caution is just an excuse to keep from stepping out in faith and following God where He would have you go.

Most Christians will tell you that they want to do God’s will but they simply don’t know what it is. Maybe that’s so. It’s difficult at times to drown out our own wishes and the comments from those around us to really hear what God has to say. But we can do it by spending time in His Word, in prayer, and in solitude.

And let me make something clear: You’ll never hear God if you don’t learn to be quiet. While God sometimes comes in flashes of light, most often His voice is the whisper we hear down deep in our souls.

Another way to determine God’s will is to follow your own passions. What excites you? What gets you all riled up at injustice? What breaks your heart? Those emotions are some wonderful indicators of how God made you.

That said, don’t expect your calling to be easy or always fun. Expect hardships. Expect ridicule. Expect to work harder than you ever have. And expect a satisfaction like you’ve never known before.

Also ask yourself a key question: Why do I feel compelled to do this thing? Is it something you simply have to do, regardless of the cost or whether anyone ever notices? Or is it something that will bring you glory, maybe a pay raise and a lifestyle change? Because if it’s a calling from God, you won’t care about anything else. If it’s external stuff, well, that never comes from God and will never satisfy your soul.

It is okay to sometimes ask for advice, just be really careful. Everyone has an agenda, whether they realize it or acknowledge it or not. It can’t be about them and what they want. Your calling is uniquely your own

Also, the person(s) giving advice shouldn’t tell you what to do but should lead you to discover your own motivations and desires and how those line up with God’s will. Remember: A calling from God is never about you.

Paul didn’t wait for permission to begin his ministry. He didn’t hesitate. He simply took first one step and then another in faith. So should you.

Friday, August 10, 2012

Show God’s Light Through Your Life

This is what the LORD says to the house of Israel:

“Seek me and live;” -- Amos 5:4

Where are you headed? Do you have a specific destination in mind or are you just sort of drifting? Are you seeking God’s will and purpose for your life or are you just trying to fit in His plan with the life you desire for yourself?

Some members of my Sunday school class get frustrated with me sometimes because I always tell them to stay focused on the light. Keep on the narrow road. Remember what is truly important.

It’s not that I don’t care about today or even tomorrow. We are all called to work hard, to provide for ourselves and our families, to do good where we are, to live each moment for Him.

Those who get frustrated are mostly the ones who are working hard to improve themselves financially. They have a good life, want to keep that good life, and resent any notion that maybe that good life shouldn’t be their focus.

I’m not opposed to living well. Obviously. We all want to be financially successful and comfortable. We all want to be able to do what we want to do when we want to do it. That’s just part of being human.

But when those things are our main goal, when we lose sight of God and what His purpose is for our lives, then we’re headed down a road that is destined to swallow us up.

Many of us have suffered, whether through illness, the loss of someone we loved, unemployment, or other things that shake our foundation. And when we emerge on the other side of suffering we come to understand what is truly important. And it isn’t our house, our cars, our bank balance.

What’s important is the people around us as we journey toward God. Because that’s what the light is. God. And that’s where all believers are headed, toward an eternity spent with God. It’s our goal. It’s the main purpose of the journey. It’s the light at the end of a sometimes really dark tunnel.

But the journey isn’t for ourselves. It’s so that we can bring glory and honor to God in all that we do. It’s so that we can show others what it means to have Jesus living inside of us. It’s so that through love and kindness and compassion we can make the world a better place than it would have been had we not made the journey.

So where are you headed? I’m headed toward heaven and an eternity with God. And in the meantime, I want to show the world that Jesus lives inside of me through my words, my actions, and my life.